With the progress of nano-technology, more and more materials are processed at the nano or even molecular scale. Micro-contact printing, scanning probe-based technique and nanoimprint are among the most commonly used technologies.
As described above, the nanoimprint is considered the most potential to achieve manufacturing ultra large-scale integrated (ULSI) nano systems with low cost and high yield rate. The nanoimprint technology has the advantage of using a single step to transfer the same nano pattern and manufacture nano structure on a large area chip substurate with a single mold. This technology is widely used in manufacturing nano electronics, optical components, high-density storage devices, nano electromagnetic devices, biological devices, and nano electromechanical components.
However, the nanoimprint technology is yet mostly a laboratory prototype for research purposes despite its advantages and potential. A commercially viable machine is not available because the technology still faces many pending problems, including the alignment in multi-layer component manufacturing, the large size molds accompanying high yield rate, the molds with high density patterns, mold sticking, solidification of polymer, mold life span and imprinting temperature and pressure, and the quality and the standardized verification of final products. As described above, the improvement of the yield rate is the key factor for the commercialization of nanoimprint technology.
In the nanoimprint process, it requires a high imprinting speed to achieve a high yield rate. At such a high imprinting speed, the uniformity and precision of imprinted micro and nano scale structure and components will be lost if the mold is deformed. In addition, if deformation of the mold is not caught by the production operators in time, a lot of defected products will be produced, and the yield rate suffers.
Conventional technologies use dynamic computational methods to construct theoretical prediction model of micro components in order to determine the mold deformation. Based on the prediction model, a simulation of micro deformation of the mold is obtained. However, because of the difference between the ideal boundary conditions and the real boundary conditions, the simulation is unable to provide practical information. Further more, when the automatic manufacturing process needs the online real-time mold deformation information for judgment, the simulated deformation of mold is not applicable.